The social science of food.

Italy

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A few weeks ago we spent sometime in Sardinia, boating around the Golfo di Orosei. There are no roads in this area that lead to the water so boating and hiking are your only options. You can hike down for a swim, but the view from the sea is really the best way to admire the limestone cliffs that seem to spill into the aqua marine water.

You can anchor your boat a few hundred yards away from the coast and snorkel around...eyeing your dinner.

Afternoons were spent exploring the coast, sunning and swimming. Evenings were spent gorging on Sardinian seafood. Grilled cuttlefish tossed with lots of garlic, olive oil, summer tomatoes, and parsley. A healthy squeeze of lemon and it tastes so good you grab the last cuttlefish without any thought or guilt for not offering it to your dinner date.

Octopus ceviche...another favorite...

Of course, you don't need to be in Sardinia to enjoy these wonderful delights. There is, however, something quite Sardinian that you absolutely can't leave the island without trying - Bottarga. Bottarga is the salted, pressed, sunbaked, dried roe sack of mullet or tuna. Bottarga has been made from ancient times and is found all along the Mediterranean from France to Greece to Africa. The best comes from the Sardinian town of Cabras, on the Western coast. This is because bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean spawn in areas around the Western coast of Sardinia, and have since recorded history. I have a thing about eating bluefin tuna, because it has been nearly fished to extinction, so I go for mullet bottarga. The sacs tend to be smaller, but quality-wise considered very much on par. After the sac has been dried, it is dipped in a thin layer of beeswax which with a little effort peels off easily.

Bottarga isn't the most appealing thing to look at, but is delicious sliced thin over hot pasta tossed in olive oil, or on lemon juice and olive oil soaked bruschetta. A truffle slicer is perfect to shave little bits of bottarga over salad. A sharp cheese slicer or vegetable peeler will also do. Once sliced it takes on a burnt orange color with flecks of what looks like gold. The bottarga from this area is actually called 'Cabras Gold'. Bottarga prices are quite steep, but just the teeniest of amounts have the most intense flavor.

This is a simple way to recreate a little bit of Sardinia, wherever you may be. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil (I don't salt the water because bottarga is salty). Meanwhile in a large fry pan heat up really good olive oil on low heat. As the olive oil gets warm sprinkle in finely minced garlic and lemon zest. Drop fresh pasta into the boiling water - this is one of those times where having fresh pasta is important. Within two or three minutes your fresh pasta should be ready. Drain and immediately add to the heated olive oil with garlic and lemon zest. Toss together with chopped flat leaf parsley. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon and add grated bottarga. Eat immediately.

Today bottarga is exported all over the world so it is possible to get it outside of Sardinia. A good Italian deli should have access to bottarga - they may not have in the shop but will likely be able to order it for you. At Christmas time they are more likely to have it in house. If you are in London, Lina Stores in Soho, carry bottarga year round. Just around the corner at I. Camisa&Son, the pre-shaved, jarred bottarga is readily available, with real bottarga sold at Christmas. My suggestion would be to head to I. Camisa&Son for their huge selection of delicious, homemade fresh pasta and then to Lina Stores for bottarga.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Our last stop in the province of Siena was a San Gimignano - a gorgeous, walled medieval town from the 900s, and famous for its towers. 15 of the original 72 towers remain. We arrived after lunch and before dinner so had to make do with a bowl of sausages and tuscan beans, which was tasty, but a few other edibles caught my eye. Like this curing cinghiale, otherwise known as wild boar.

This selection of cinghiale prosciutto was almost as impressive as the curing meats in a butcher's shop from the town of Siena. Sorry for the blur - I had to take this incognito.

As amazing as all these lovely cured meats are, there lies a special place in my heart for all things sweet. And while I am a moth to a flame for sunshine and warm weather, I love fall because it means Halloween, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas cookies, and harvest time for nuts! Celebrating the cooler weather spirit is a famous Christmas cookie from the region of Siena - ricciarelli.

This traditional Christmas cookie (can be enjoyed at anytime of the year, of course) is made up of almond paste, egg whites, sugar, and often orange zest. The dough is made and formed into balls or the more traditional diamond shape. These are left out for a couple days to form a crackly skin, sprinkled with 10x, and then baked. Ricciarelli are very similar to the more well-known amaretti.

Another sweet treat we discovered in Siena was panforte. It's basically a fruit cake loaded with nuts, candied fruits, and spices. There also exists a chocolate version!

A proper panforte is said to have 17 different ingredients, representing each of the 17 contrada that make up Siena. If you want to know a bit more about Siena's contradas check out my previous post.

Its as if the gods knew our trip to Tuscany had come to an end in San Gimignano, as the clouds rolled in and it began to sprinkle.

Good thing we managed to have the last of the summer tomatoes the day before...

Summer is officially over in my book. A real chill has come to London and this time I think its here to stay. I've even had to pull out my heating blanket for the bed this week. Plum jams on deck, just got my first batch of pears, and already writing my grocery list for Thanksgiving. Fall is definitely here.

Monday, October 05, 2009

On our last trip to Northern Italy we made it as far south as Florence, missing the Tuscan countryside and Siena. With summer crowds gone, lingering warm weather, and Chianti crush in full swing, we thought early October would be the perfect time to explore this area of Italy. I'm not a Chianti expert, but the key and sometimes only varietal is Sangiovese. These clusters are eeking out the last of the Tuscan sun, as they are to be harvested in a matter of days!

After harvest these grapes may or may not be blended with others. Once certain alcohol level and age requirements are met, these fruits of the vine will be Chianti or Chianti Classico. Chianti is often served in a rounded bottle and covered with straw - like below.

We stayed in a Tuscan villa outside of Siena's old city limits, but close enough that we could walk into town. Siena is home to one of the most amazing and ornately decorated Duomos. I found the mosaic floor to be the most impressive and we were lucky that all were uncovered for us to view. The amazing mosaics cover nearly the entire floor of the main cathedral and depict some amazing scenes. The floor is only uncovered for a few weeks out of the year, usually at the end of summer or early fall.

I love European towns with rich histories where evidence of happenings and traditions from thousands of years ago still exist. Like the Palio Horse Race of Siena that has happened since Medieval Times. Siena is comprised of 17 contrada, or city wards. Each neighborhood spans a few streets and have existed since the Middle Ages. While the contrada were originally formed for security, protection, and administrative purposes thousands of years ago, today tradition and deep nostalgic emotion keep the neighborhoods and their rivalries alive. This rivalry culminates in the Palio Horse Race, where ten neighborhoods are chosen to race their horse in the city's main piazza - Piazza del Campo. I highly recommend checking out the many video clips of the race which are all over the net.

On the evening we were in town, the center of the Piazza played host to a dinner for hundreds and in commemoration of this year's winner - the contrada represented by the mascot of the Owl. It was a huge event, especially since this was the Owl's first win in 30 years! Other mascots include a porcupine, snail, eagle, and my personal favorite the she-wolf (Lupa).

Siena is named after Senius, the son Remus. One of my favorite stories from mythology is the story of Romulus and Remus. Remus, and his brother Romulus (of which Rome was named after), were twin brothers born to the God of War, Mars, and the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silva. As a Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silva was to remain celibate, and claimed that Mars had seduced her, and thus the twins were conceived. When her uncle, Amulius, heard of this he ordered the death of the baby twins. He had overthrown her father, who was King, and Amulius feared that sons of Rhea Silva might challenge his throne.

A servant was ordered by Amulius to kill Romulus and Remus, but could not and instead sent them down the Tiber river. A she-wolf, who had lost her own cubs, suckled Romulus and Remus and kept them alive. Figures of Lupa nursing Romulus and Remus are found all over town and is the emblem of Siena.

A bit more on some of the food we had in Chianti region in a few days time.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Before Nate and I moved to London we spent six months living in Geneva, Switzerland. Since Geneva is so centrally located in Western Europe and they drive on the "right" side of the road we took many weekend road trips. One of the most memorable was driving along the North-Western coast of Italy. We weaved around the small roads and drove through many towns. We also took a train to Cinque Terre, five little fishing villages, inaccessible by car...

To remember the much better weather and delicious food I made Zuppa di Pesce - fish soup - for dinner.

There are hundreds of types of Italian fish soups. Depending on the regions and the particular cook the ingredients vary, except that they all have fish in them. Most seem to have tomato, but not all. Pesto, garlic, basil, pasta bits, chili peppers - might or might not be included. I've included barley in mine because I prefer the texture and look to pasta bits, but I don't think I've ever seen it in a recipe. Use the recipe below as a guide, but tweak it to meet your tastes. If its got fish and its in broth - it's Zuppa di Pesce.

ZUPPA DI PESCE

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, small dice

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 chili pepper, minced

1 handful basil leaves, save a few for garnish

2 cans of chopped tomatoes, or about 500g

2 1/2 c fish stock (chicken or vegetable stock is fine too)*

1/2 c barley

500 g mixture of fish and shellfish**

salt and pepper to taste

Sliced thick country bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic

METHOD

Sweat onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili pepper, cook for another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, and barley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and tear pieces of basil into the soup. Cook for about 15 minutes or until barley is cooked through. Add more stock if its too thick for you. Add fish, reserving any shellfish or prawns. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until fish is nearly cooked through. Add shellfish or prawns and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serves 4. Serve over warm, toasted bread and add a sprig of fresh basil.

*Sometimes I find fish soup to be too fishy. If fish stock is too strong as I find it sometimes is, use chicken or vegetable stock.

**I used a combination of the most sustainable fish available to me...line-caught Icelandic cod, Atlantic gurnard, tilapia, Arctic prawns, dive-caught scallops, and UK gig-caught squid.